His Greatest Regret

Chapter Five:The Anonymous Message

Amelia didn't get much sleep. She saw the message again every time she closed her eyes: “This is something you should get used to, everyone else has already done so.” She convinced herself that it had to be a joke at three in the morning, questioned whether one of Victoria's friends had sent it at four, and was at a loss for words by five. She was just aware of the pain.

Adrian entered the kitchen just after seven o’clock, untied his necktie and grabbed a cup of coffee before he saw Amelia sitting at the island, already awake and far too silent.

“Morning.” he said.

She looked up. "Morning." she replied.

Something felt wrong right away. Adrian frowned. "Are you okay?"

Amelia almost laughed. Now he was asking, after being gone all night? She slid her phone across the counter.

"What's this?" she asked.

Adrian picked it up. His eyes moved over the message and the photo, and his face darkened.

"Where did you get this?" he asked

"It was sent to me." Amelia replied.

"When?" he asked

"Last night." He looked at it again before setting the phone down.

"Who sent it?" Adrian asked

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be asking you." She said.

Silence filled the room. At last, Adrian sighed. "It's nothing."

Amelia stared at him. "Nothing?"

"The photo was taken at a charity meeting." Adrian replied.

"And the message?" she asked

"I don't know." he said

"People think you're a couple." Amelia muttered

"People think a lot of things." Amelia crossed her arms. "Do you?" she asked

Adrian frowned. "What?"

"Do you think the same thing?" She asked.

His jaw tightened. "No." he said.

The answer came fast. Too fast. For some reason, it didn't make her feel any better, maybe because it wasn't the answer she really wanted. The question she wanted to ask was: “If you had the choice, would you choose her?”But she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.

At the Knight Estate, Victoria sat across from Vanessa, who looked uneasy, that was becoming normal around Victoria.

"I really don't think this is a good idea." Vanessa said.

Victoria smiled. "Don't be silly."

"No, really." Vanessa set down her tea. "Mrs. Knight, Adrian is married." she said

Victoria's smile faded. "Only on paper."

Vanessa blinked. "What?"

Victoria leaned forward. "Tell me something."

"I don't think I want to." Vanessa replied

"Just answer." Vanessa let out a sigh. "Fine."

Victoria smiled. "If Adrian were free—"

Vanessa shook her head at once. "No."

Victoria laughed. "I didn't even finish."

"I know where this is going." vanessa replied

"And?" she asked

"He's married." Vanessa responded.

Victoria leaned back in her chair, and for the first time she looked annoyed. Vanessa wasn't helping. That wasn't part of the plan.

That evening, Amelia arrived at the Knight Foundation's yearly gala. The ballroom was already full, guests moved from table to table, photographers stood near the entrance, and the room buzzed with conversation.

The moment Amelia walked in, she saw Adrian and Vanessa. Standing together. Again. Amelia hated how quickly she noticed them, hated that she cared, yet she couldn't stop herself.

Vanessa said something. Adrian laughed. A real laugh, the kind Amelia hadn't heard from him in months. Something twisted inside her chest.

"Amelia." She turned.

Rebecca Moore was walking toward her, one of Victoria's closest friends. The woman smiled. "It's lovely to see you." she said

"You too." Amelia replied.

Rebecca glanced toward Adrian and Vanessa, then back at Amelia.

"Oh." Rebecca said.

Amelia already knew she wasn't going to like what came next. "What?"

Rebecca gave an awkward laugh. "Nothing."

"Rebecca." The woman sighed. "People are talking." Of course they were.

"What are they saying?" Amelia asked.

Rebecca hesitated, then she spoke. "They think Miss Sinclair and Adrian would make a wonderful match."

Amelia forced a smile. "How thoughtful of them."

Rebecca winced. "Sorry."

Amelia nodded. "It's okay." But it wasn't. Not even a little.

Across the room, Adrian spotted Amelia, and his smile vanished at once. Vanessa followed his gaze. "Oh."

Adrian frowned. "What?"

"Your wife." she said.

Without another word, he started walking toward Amelia. Vanessa watched him go, then looked around the room. People were staring. Whispering. Judging. And for the first time, she truly felt sorry for Amelia. None of this was fair.

"Amelia." She turned around.

Adrian stopped in front of her. "You just got here?"

She nodded. "Mm."

His eyes narrowed. "What's wrong?"

The question irritated her. "What makes you think something's wrong?" she asked

"You seem upset." he said

Amelia gave a soft laugh. "Maybe because half the room thinks you're seeing another woman."

Adrian looked away. Not a good sign. Not at all. "People talk."

"Then stop giving them reasons to." she said

His expression hardened. "What does that mean?" he said.

Amelia stared at him. Was he serious? "You're always with her."

"For work." he replied

"Your mother invites her everywhere."

"That's not my choice." he said

"But you never stop it." Amelia replied.

The words hit hard, because they were true, and both of them knew it. Adrian rubbed his forehead. "We've talked about this."

"No." Amelia shook her head. "We haven't."

"What do you want me to do?" Adrian asked.

She laughed without humor. "There it is again."

"What?" he asked

"That question." She looked at him.

"You always ask what I want." Her voice softened. "But you never say what you want."

Adrian fell silent. Amelia continued. "Do you want Vanessa in your life?"

His stomach tightened. "What kind of question is that?"

"A simple one." Silence. Long and heavy. Amelia felt her heart sink. He wasn't answering. Again. He wasn't answering. "Forget it." She turned away.

"Amelia." he said.

She kept walking. And once again, Adrian let her go.

An hour later, the gala was almost over. Amelia stood alone near one of the exits, ready to leave, ready to go home, ready to forget the whole night. Then she heard Victoria's voice.

"Everyone, may I have your attention?" Victoria said

The room fell silent. Amelia froze. A chill ran through her. Something in Victoria's voice felt wrong. Very wrong.

Victoria stepped onto the stage with a smile and took the microphone. "Tonight has been a great success."

The crowd applauded. Victoria smiled wider. "I'd also like to thank someone very special."

Amelia's stomach dropped. “No. Please don't” Amelia said.

Victoria held out a hand. "Vanessa Sinclair."

Applause filled the room. Vanessa looked surprised, she clearly hadn't expected it. Victoria looked at her proudly. "Vanessa has become like family to us."

Warm murmurs spread through the ballroom, people nodded, people smiled, and Amelia felt the color drain from her face. Like family. The words hit her hard, and they echoed in her head.

She looked at Adrian. Waiting. Hoping. Praying. “Please say something. Correct her. Do something.” But Adrian stayed silent. He didn't move. He didn't speak. He just stood there. And in that moment, with hundreds of people around her, Amelia felt more alone than she ever had in her life.